Testimony

On November 16, 2012, the Inspector General testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure regarding the governance of the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (MWAA). Established through the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986, MWAA operates the federally owned Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National airports under a lease agreement with the Department of Transportation. In his statement, the Inspector General highlighted our November 1 report, which detailed deficiencies in MWAA’s policies and oversight for its (1) contract award and procurement practices, (2) code of ethics for its employees, (3) hiring and compensation practices, and (4) Board of Director activities. The Inspector General also described actions that MWAA has taken to improve its accountability and transparency in response to our ongoing concerns. However, he noted that further actions are needed to fully ensure fiduciary and ethical responsibility and restore public trust in the soundness of MWAA’s current and future activities.